Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Greetings B/SOTLs The Champ is back again with another review for your reading pleasure! This week's review is a cigar I picked up at W. Curtis Drapers recently that I wanted to try: The Illusione Epernay. Today I'm reviewing the Le Ferm size, which is a toro size. Some background on this cigar (according to http://www.illusionecigars.com): "This blend originally debuted in 2008 through the ECCJ 15th Limited release." Check out the specs on this Nicaraguan puro:

This cigar has a very smooth wrapper with a couple of veins running up the cigar. I don't anticipate any burn issues even with the veins present. The cigar is packed very well upon inspection and there are no soft spots so no worries about tunneling. Give the cap a snip and test the draw and the draw is good with a little bit of resistance. The cold draw flavors are a mix of sweetness with some earthy notes. I can't wait to get this lit up!

Beginning

Right off the bat I'm getting a nice mixture of subtle earth tones with honey and chocolate plus a very good amount of spice as well. The spice is noticeable on the retrohale along with the sweet honey flavor. Nice balance of flavors on the finish; almost resembles a graham cracker with a sort of peppery kick. I'm getting a very pleasant Potpourri-like aroma which would explain the floral earth tones I'm tasting in the smoke. So far, the cigar is medium-to-full flavored and medium strength. Construction is fairly good so far: semi-even burn with a greyish white solid ash holding pretty well. Just a side note: you gotta love random people walking by rapping loudly or little girls cussing about something...only in SE DC!! But as always I digress so let's make the transition!

Halfway Point

Moving onto the halfway point and the spice as faded. Now I'm getting some hints of coffee mixed with some floral notes (very nice!). I lost some of the honey flavor on the pallet but can still catch it on the retrohale. Ahh snap here comes the entertainment rolling by: the neighborhood drunk and his "special" girlfriend just walked by cussing each other out! They're always good for a laugh LOL but back to the matter at hand...still working with a good draw yet the ash is a bit flaky and crooked but not affecting the smoke. Now I'm getting a mix of coffee and honey-infused bourbon along with the floral notes. So far, this cigar is very pleasant and enjoyable...let's see if it can finish strong!

Final Stretch

Coming down to the end here and the coffee notes are really starting to kick up a notch while the floral notes are moving towards the back of the pallet. Construction continues to work in my favor with a nice solid ash and a perfect burn with no flaky ash! Starting to notice a bit of a toasty flavor kicking in that I didn't experience before (mixing in very well). Getting a minimal amount of spice on the retrohale mixing in with the coffee, floral and burnt notes and the strength remained medium throughout and also was a very smooth smoke.

Verdict = WIN!! I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar all the mixture of sweet flavors mixing in with some slight bold yet smooth flavors makes for an enjoyable experience smoking this cigar. Big shoutout and thanks to Dion Giolito for creating this blend and many of the Illusione blends that are so enjoyable and affordable! You can follow Dion on Twitter (if you aren't already) @Vudu9.

That's it that's all thanks again for visiting and remember to keep lighting up those fine cigars and let the smoke take you away! CHEERS AND ENJOY!